


Puppy Love

by mangsin



Series: 5+1 TaeJongHyuk [1]
Category: Dokgo Rewind - Fandom
Genre: 5+1 Things, A lot of carrying, Aftermath of Violence, Awkward Crush, Awkward situations, Denial of Feelings, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Innocent Pyo Taejin, Light Angst, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Nicknames, Oblivious Kang Hyuk, Showers, Taejin is just awkward all the time, Tension, injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:33:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21836782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mangsin/pseuds/mangsin
Summary: Taejin is awkward. This is a known fact.Hyuk is intimidating. Another known fact.Why does Taejin always manage to get himself into situations like this?aka: 5 Times a TaeHyuk Moment was Ruined, and 1 Time It Wasn't
Relationships: Kang Hyuk/Pyo Taejin, brief Pyo Taejin/Jo Horim
Series: 5+1 TaeJongHyuk [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1573348
Kudos: 7





	Puppy Love

1

“Seems like you’re the leader,” Taejin observed. “You didn’t even fight.”

The other boy’s poker face was perfect. “I’m a friend.”

Which, obviously, was bullshit. Everyone there knew it, judging by how the two that _did_ fight turned to look at the boy with incredulous looks on their faces, but he didn’t back down.

The big one quickly abandoned his focus on the blatant lie in favor of asking about food. Taejin dodged the questions, uninterested and frankly unable to pay at the moment – his mind was on other things, anyway.

A strange nervousness settling in his gut, Taejin held his hand out to the not-leader.

“Pyo Taejin.”

The boy’s steady, blank gaze didn’t waver as he took Taejin’s hand.

“Kang Hyuk.”

Taejin felt a corner of his mouth lift up in a half-smile, and neither of them moved. Hyuk’s hand was warm in his, calloused and much smaller than Taejin’s own hands. It made Taejin feel strange, something bubbling up into his chest and settling there.

Then the big one put his hand on top of Taejin’s and Hyuk’s. The blond one followed, and the smallest one tried to join in, but everyone abruptly pulled away.

Walking back to Dang Young, Taejin found himself missing the warmth of Hyuk’s hand.

He shook his head as if trying to dislodge the thought. He wasn’t sure why… What was wrong with him?

But despite his efforts, the phantom feeling of Hyuk’s hand didn’t leave for the rest of the night.

• • •

2

Excitement rising in the back of his throat, Taejin smiled wide enough to hurt. He jumped to his feet and spun around. Cheering, Horim waved her sign and gave him the biggest smile he’d ever seen. Warmth filled Taejin’s chest at the sight of her face.

Taejin’s eyes skimmed over the crowd, and his heart skipped a beat.

Hyuk was there.

He hadn’t been able to keep his mind off of the other boy since they first met, and now… Now Hyuk was _right there_ , at Taejin’s match, and there were faint traces of a smile on his face.

The next match was called, and Taejin was pulled away.

Later, after winning a second time, Taejin stole a glance at where he’d seen Hyuk – only to find that the other boy was gone.

Ignoring his sudden feeling of disappointment, Taejin turned his attention back to Horim and gave her another smile.

He tried not to think about how this one felt more forced.

• • •

3

Hyuk caught Taejin’s arm.

“That’s enough.”

Taejin could barely hear Hyuk’s level voice through the rage buzzing in his head, his whole body. He could barely even hear himself reply, cursing at Hyuk to leave.

He wrenched his arm away, rearing back to strike _his_ face once again.

Hyuk didn’t let him. Grabbing Taejin’s arm again, he forced him away and punched him square in the jaw.

“Think straight!” Hyuk shouted as Taejin stumbled back.

Taejin turned and grabbed Hyuk by the front of his shirt. Hyuk didn’t react, and Taejin felt a sliver of fear through his anger.

_Don’t hurt Hyuk. Not Hyuk_.

Hyuk looked past Taejin. “Shouldn’t you go and take care of her first?”

Faltering, eyes caught by Hyuk’s once more, Taejin felt his anger fizzle out into numbness. He let go of Hyuk and turned around almost robotically.

Taejin stared at Horim’s bruised, unconscious face.

_What was he doing?_

Next thing he knew, he was at the hospital, Horim’s limp body cradled in his arms.

The nurses rushed towards him, pulling and asking questions. He didn’t know how to answer them. Didn’t know what they were saying in the first place.

He sank into a chair a few moments later, after they had left with Horim.

Staring at his hands, Taejin remembered Hyuk’s eyes, telling him to take care of Horim. To leave that… _scumbag_ , to stop. To come back to his senses.

His face fell into his hands.

_What was he doing?_

• • •

4

Taejin smiled at the sound of Hyuk and Jongil’s bickering. He didn’t know if it was the high from getting pummeled by Kanghoon or the strange… something he felt towards the other boy, but hearing Hyuk talk about such trivial things made him happy.

“Hey, idiots. Don’t argue about things like that.”

After Hyuk got off the phone with Dong-whoever, Jongil got up, leaving Hyuk and Taejin alone for a moment.

When Taejin lifted his head, he found Hyuk staring at him, and _every time_.

Every time, Taejin marveled at how Hyuk could set him on fire with a single look.

“Is your hand alright?” Hyuk asked quietly.

“Uh…” It took a moment for Taejin’s mind to catch up with his ears. “Yeah. It’ll be fine.”

Hyuk gave a single nod and turned his gaze to Jongil, who was approaching the two again. Taejin mourned the loss for a split second before catching himself.

_Stop that_.

“Taejin.” Jongil pulled the taller boy out of his thoughts. “Up for a spar? I want to practice on someone bigger than Hyuk.”

Taejin blinked. “You sure?”

The face Jongil pulled made a smile dance on Taejin’s mouth. “Of course I’m sure,” the smaller boy scoffed. “Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you.”

Taejin threw his head back and laughed. “Alright, Feather, let’s see what you’ve got.”

Hyuk’s small smile almost made Taejin miss Jongil’s indignant “ _Feather?_ ”

• • •

5

The next morning, before they went to find Gicheon, Hyuk caught Taejin’s arm. “I want you to show me that move.”

Taejin’s brow furrowed – he might rely on his strength more than his smarts to win fights, but he was pretty sure that getting thrown onto concrete before a fight wasn’t the best idea.

“Are you sure?” he asked. “It’ll hurt, and right before your fight with Kanghoon…”

Hyuk simply nodded.

After a moment, Taejin shrugged. “Alright.”

It was during the demonstration that he realized his mistake. If just a look from Hyuk was enough twist his insides around, then touching him, _holding_ him...

Taejin nearly stumbled as the realization hit him, right as he was ducking under Hyuk’s arms. _Shit_ , why did he agree to this? This was worse than he had imagined.

The warmth of Hyuk’s body against Taejin’s shoulder made him swallow, hard, and he was absolutely certain that his face went red when he remembered the next step in the move.

“Taejin?” Hyuk’s soft voice asked, and damn it, he must’ve frozen. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, just… are you sure?” _Please don’t say yes, please don’t say yes, please…_

“I’ll be fine. Go ahead.” _Damn_.

Taejin took a deep breath and grabbed Hyuk’s legs. It might sound easier than it was, but the other boy’s thighs were so warm and this was not how Taejin had imagined holding Hyuk for the first time would be-

That last thought startled Taejin, so much so that when he lifted Hyuk, his grip loosened early.

Hyuk hit the ground with a thud and a grunt. Eyes widening, Taejin spun around and dropped down next to him.

“Are you alright? I let go too early, that could’ve broken your neck, why did I-”

Hyuk lifted a hand and lightly smacked Taejin’s leg, still trying to catch his breath. He looked a little dazed, and _oh shit what if he had given Hyuk a concussion_.

“I’m fine,” Hyuk wheezed. “I’m… Thanks.”

Taejin’s brows drew together, incredulous. “‘Thanks’? For what, possibly throwing your fight in Kanghoon’s favor?”

Hyuk opened his mouth to reply when Jaewook darted around the corner. “Hey, are you two rea- why is Hyuk on the floor?”

Taejin froze as he remembered just how Hyuk had gotten there. And now that his worry had evaporated…

Jerking away as if burned, Taejin stood up abruptly. “I’m- I have-”

Hyuk tilted his head. “Taejin?”

Taejin’s face flushed. “I need to go get something see you in a little while goodbye,” he managed. Sprinting past Jaewook, past Jongil and Bonhwan, he probably looked crazy – but all he could think about was Hyuk’s warmth and the way he looked when he was out of breath.

• • •

+1

Taejin exhaled, watching his breath fog in the air. Hands in his pockets, he strolled absentmindedly down the dark sidewalk.

He’d taken to doing this a lot. The air in his house was always thick with his parents’ disappointment. Taejin didn’t want to be there more than necessary, so he wandered. His face stung with the cold wind, and a shiver would strike him every now and then, but it was still better than home.

Something caught his attention, and Taejin paused. Frowned. Was that really…?

Eyes widening, Taejin sprinted over to catch Hyuk as the other boy pitched forward.

Taejin grunted as Hyuk fell into his chest, and he scrambled to wrap his arms around Hyuk. Something in the smaller boy’s torso gave and Hyuk flinched.

“Hyuk?” Taejin asked frantically. “Hyuk, what happened? Why are-”

A hand fisted in the back of Taejin’s jacket.

“Ribs,” Hyuk gritted out.

Swearing under his breath, Taejin swept Hyuk’s legs into his arms and carried him over to a nearby bench. He carefully set Hyuk down.

“What happened, Hyuk?” Taejin repeated, crouching down in front of the bench. He left one hand on Hyuk’s shoulder to hold him upright – the other boy was concerningly unfocused.

Hyuk’s eyelids slid down to half-mast and Taejin gave him a quick once-over. Bruised and bleeding face, dirt covering his clothes and dusting his hair. With the way he had been walking, Taejin was willing to bet that something was wrong with one of Hyuk’s ankles – and then there were the ribs. Hyuk’s clothes didn’t let Taejin see his torso, but there had to be some crazy bruises there.

“Hey. Hyuk. _Hey_.” Taejin swallowed. This was the worst damage he’d ever seen on Hyuk, and that was including after Kanghoon. “Hyuk-ah, you need to stay awake. What happened? C’mon, tell hyung.”

At the word ‘hyung’, Hyuk’s head lifted. “Hyung?”

Taejin got the sinking feeling that he wasn’t what Hyuk meant by that word, but he needed the younger boy awake. “Yeah, it’s hyung. Can you tell me what happened?”

“I…” Hyuk blinked once, slowly. “I got beat up.”

“I can see that.” Taejin almost wanted to laugh from the strangeness of the situation. “Can you tell me why? Or who?”

It took a terrifyingly long moment for Hyuk to answer. “Don’t know.”

Taejin released the breath he had been holding. “That’s okay.” He rubbed Hyuk’s shoulder without really thinking, wracking his brain for a way to fix things. “Okay, Hyuk-ah, we need to get you to a hospital-”

A shake of Hyuk’s head cut Taejin off.

“No hospital.”

Frowning, Taejin tried to catch Hyuk’s eye, but it was more difficult than it seemed. “Hyuk-ah, you need help.”

Hyuk shook his head again. “No hospital. Don’t have money.”

“But-”

“And I don’t like them,” Hyuk interrupted quietly.

Taejin gazed up at the sky and prayed for patience. “Alright. Hold on.” He pulled out his phone, quickly dialing a number and holding it up to his ear.

“ _Hello?_ ”

“Hyung, it’s me.”

“ _Taejin-ah?_ ” The voice on the other end of the phone sounded surprised. “ _Why are you calling so late?_ ”

“I have a favor to ask. Could you leave the showers unlocked?”

“ _Why would you need me to leave the showers unlocked? Take a shower at home_.”

“It’s…” Taejin huffed. “Please, hyung. I’ll buy you lunch tomorrow.”

“ _Lock up after you’re done_.”

“I will. Thanks, hyung.”

Taejin pocketed his phone and gently shook Hyuk’s shoulder. “Do you think you can stand?”

Nodding, Hyuk let Taejin help him up – only to stumble back into him.

“For the love of…” Taejin lifted Hyuk into his arms again, noting with some concern that he was lighter than he remembered.

Hyuk let himself be carried with surprisingly little protest, his head dropping onto Taejin’s shoulder. His soft puffs of breath were warm against Taejin’s skin, and Taejin felt a flush crawl up his neck.

_Not now_ , he scolded himself. _Seriously, now of all times_.

Taejin’s feet went on autopilot, taking them to Dang Young while he rambled on about nothing to fill the silence. He doubted he was keeping Hyuk awake, but at least he was trying. Regardless, he sighed in relief when the school came into sight.

“Almost there, Hyuk-ah,” he murmured. “Just another minute.”

The door opened when Taejin tried it, and he sent up thanks for his hyung. Quickly slipping inside and kicking the door shut behind him, Taejin made a beeline for the nearest shower stall.

He set Hyuk down on a bench and rummaged around in the closets until he found a clean towel, returning to Hyuk’s side once he had.

“Hyuk-ah?” he asked softly. On the way there, Taejin had grown concerned about the state of Hyuk’s head. He hoped the younger boy didn’t have a concussion. “I’m going to put you in the shower, so don’t freak out and kill me, okay?”

Hyuk didn’t really respond, just hummed. Taking a deep breath, Taejin pulled Hyuk’s jacket off of his shoulders. The plaid shirt soon followed, and then came the hard part.

Lifting up the front of Hyuk’s shirt, Taejin immediately sucked in a breath at the sight of such mottled skin. Hyuk’s torso was a mess of blue and green and purple and grey.

Taejin set to work on getting Hyuk’s shirt off of him, mind racing. Hyuk was the best fighter he’d had ever met – how did he get so beat up? A sense of unease settled in his chest. What if Hyuk had run into an adult fighter? What if there was someone in town that Hyuk couldn’t win against? What if-

Oh. Shit.

Taejin’s hands hovered over Hyuk’s jeans. He bit the inside of his cheek.

“Hyuk-ah, do you think you can get your pants off by yourself?”

The slow blink Taejin got in return wasn’t reassuring, but Hyuk eventually moved his hands to his fly. He fumbled with the button and somehow – Taejin thanked whatever god had helped – managed to get it undone.

It ended there, though, his hands falling back to his sides. Taejin glanced up to see Hyuk’s eyes drifting shut and swallowed.

“Hey, hey, no,” he said gently, trying and probably failing to mask the fear in his voice. “Hyuk-ah, you need to stay awake for me, okay? Can you do that? Stay awake for hyung?”

Brow furrowing, Hyuk peered through his lashes. His eyes were hazy and unfocused.

“…Pants?”

Taejin jolted. Right. Yes. Pants.

“Um… yeah, just let me…” Taejin glared at the offending article of clothing. He wouldn’t be able to get them off when Hyuk was so unbalanced. Unless…

He nearly groaned, face heating up once more. Why did this always happen to him? “One second.”

Getting to his feet, Taejin stepped over the bench and knelt behind Hyuk. He gulped, hesitating for just a moment, and steeled his nerves.

“Lean back, Hyuk-ah, and let’s get this over with,” he muttered.

Hyuk obeyed without a word. His back settled on Taejin’s chest, which wouldn’t have been so bad if he hadn’t laid his head on Taejin’s shoulder next.

And sure, Hyuk’s head had been resting on Taejin’s shoulder the entire way there. He’d even been breathing on Taejin’s neck. But this time? This time, Hyuk’s face wasn’t hidden.

Taejin stared down at Hyuk’s bleeding and bruised face with wide eyes.

Fuck, he was beautiful.

Wrapping shaky arms around the smaller boy, Taejin tried to avoid Hyuk’s sleepy eyes as he grasped the sides of his jeans.

“Ready, Hyuk-ah?”

“Mm.”

A few careful tugs was all it took, and Hyuk’s pants were bunched around his knees. Taejin prodded Hyuk upright and jumped back over the bench to pull the jeans all the way off.

He gathered Hyuk’s long limbs back into his arms, ready to be done with the worst part of this situation. Carrying Hyuk to the showers was easy. Setting him down and propping him up was harder, since the smaller boy’s sense of balance appeared to have left him completely.

Taejin pulled down one of the showerheads and pointed it away from both of them. Both of them getting wet was inevitable, and kind of the point in Hyuk’s case, but he’d rather not start out with the biting cold he knew would come when he turned the shower on at first.

Reaching up to do so, Taejin felt Hyuk’s head fall onto his thigh and looked down. Mistake number one, it turned out.

In his haste to get this over with, Taejin had given little thought to how he positioned himself. Now, on one knee and practically straddling the other boy, he wondered what on earth he had done in a past life to deserve this.

Taejin’s head snapped up as red crept across his face. _Not the time, nor the place_ , he scolded himself. _Turn the damn shower on, Pyo_.

Mistake number two.

He waited long enough for the water to warm up a little and turned the spray on Hyuk. A shiver passed through the younger’s body and his eyes opened. Point one for Taejin.

Picking up the washcloth he’d swiped from a closet, Taejin wet it down and got to work, gingerly wiping the dirt and blood off of Hyuk’s skin. The cleaner Hyuk got, the more bruises and cuts Taejin uncovered. It made his stomach churn.

As a former wrestler and a current street fighter, he knew how to identify injuries, by both their type and how old they were. Hyuk had a lot of new cuts and bruises, probably got them that night, but some of them – like the cigarette burns on his arms and collarbone – were older.

He didn’t want to think about where Hyuk could’ve gotten them. There were only a few realistic options Taejin could think of, and he didn’t like any of them.

Hyuk flinched as Taejin ran the cloth over a cut on his cheek.

“Sorry,” Taejin mumbled. “Okay, uh… I need to get your back, so do you think you could-”

Without waiting for Taejin to finish, Hyuk leaned forward – making his back accessible, but also resting his head on Taejin’s hip.

Taejin froze, brain short-circuiting. “Right. Thanks,” he choked out.

It took six more agonizing minutes to finish cleaning the younger up, and eight more after that to get him into any clothes, but eventually Taejin had Hyuk in a pair of sweatpants at least three sizes too big for him. He’d given up with the shirt, instead opting to give Hyuk his own jacket.

He tried his best to not think about how cute and small Hyuk looked with just the tips of his fingers poking out of the sleeves.

And now, a new problem arose.

“Hyuk-ah,” Taejin sighed. Why hadn’t he thought of this before carrying Hyuk halfway across town? “I don’t know where you live. Do you think you can give me directions so I can get you home?”

Hyuk seemed to shrink into himself, and Taejin frowned at the abnormal reaction.

“Don’t want to go home.”

Taejin’s frown deepened. “Why not?”

“…Don’t want to.”

Exhaling, Taejin crouched down in front of where Hyuk sat on the locker room bench. “I’m already not taking you a hospital like I know I should, Hyuk-ah. I need to take you to your house.”

A shake of the head.

“Hyuk-ah. Where are you going to sleep? What about your family, won’t they be worried?”

Hyuk caught Taejin’s sleeve as Taejin stood.

“Please.”

Surprised, and maybe a little concerned, Taejin looked down at the smaller boy.

His third mistake, and the one that would seal his fate.

Because sitting there, bruises and cuts on his face, swimming in oversized clothes, and staring up at Taejin like that, Hyuk looked so impossibly _fragile_.

They stayed like that for a moment. Taejin closed his eyes.

“Fine. You can stay at my place for the night.”

Luckily, his parents had already gone to bed by the time Taejin opened the front door with Hyuk on his back. Answering their questions would’ve been a nightmare.

Taejin tiptoed up the stairs the best he could, closing his bedroom door behind him. He’d decided beforehand (and by ‘decided beforehand’, he meant ‘realized and started panicking over it until he found a solution’) that Hyuk would sleep on his bed and he’d use any extra blankets to make himself comfortable on the floor.

The urge to take a picture of Hyuk curled up under the blankets was tempting. But Taejin valued his body’s wellbeing.

Pulling his own blanket up to his chin, Taejin fell asleep watching the edge of the bed.

The next morning, Taejin woke up to find Hyuk gone, along with the plastic bag of Hyuk’s dirty clothes.

His bed had been made, and his jacket was folded and set on his pillow with a note on top of it.

_‘Thanks, hyung.’_

Taejin smiled.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so am I the only one who noticed the amount of tension in the scene where Hyuk and Taejin meet?
> 
> Am I the first Dokgo Rewind fic? Yes. Yes I am. I hope you're all ashamed of yourselves, because this show - however many plotholes it has, however much potential was wasted - is amazing. I rewatch it all the time.
> 
> More works will be added to this series, but when is uncertain. I have a few other fics I'm working on at the same time as these (self-control? discipline? don't know them), so updates may be slow/chaotic.
> 
> Thank you and hope you enjoyed!


End file.
